InfluenceMap maintains the world’s leading database of corporate and industry association lobbying of climate policy around the globe. Our research and reports have been informing investors, the media and the corporate sector since 2015. Browse our reports, blogs and company profiles.
An Analysis of the Energy Charter Treaty’s Potential Impact on EU Climate Goals
This research details an active effort from the US oil and gas industry capitalize on the war in Ukraine to advocate for long-standing policy asks relating to the continued expansion of oil and gas. The research looks at the month following the invasion of Ukraine on the 24th February 2022. This has happened across social media, traditional media, public presentations, investor calls, and direct interactions with America’s policymakers. This lobbying behavior mirrors that seen from the oil and gas industry following the COVID-19 crisis.
Utilities carry significant clout in policymaking processes, particularly at the subnational level, and have a critical role to play in advancing the legislation and regulation needed to mitigate climate change. This report analyzes the climate policy engagement of the 25 largest investor-owned energy utilities in the U.S., covering over 80% of the total market cap of publicly listed utilities. The results show a wide spectrum of engagement with climate policy, indicating a highly fractured sector in terms of climate policy positioning.
InfluenceMap’s new platform tracks the climate change policy engagement activity of over 70 companies and 30 industry associations headquartered in the EU. Findings include an overall ranking for each company and industry association based on InfluenceMap’s A-to-F system of scoring, indicating support for – or opposition to – Paris-aligned climate policy. The platform also allows users to explore the links between companies and industry associations, and to examine in real time the impact of corporate and industry climate policy engagement on critical EU climate policy streams.
InfluenceMap’s new report finds that Japanese and South Korean steel companies rank among the most negative on climate policy engagement when compared with their global competitors. This opposition to Paris-aligned climate policy contrasts with many of the steel sector’s customers (in real estate, construction, machinery) which have stronger climate goals and are more likely to support government action on climate change.
An analysis of industry's playbook to promote fossil gas in Europe
How Auto Parts Makers are Lobbying to Delay EU’s Decarbonization Agenda
The industry group is at odds with investors and its finance sector members on emerging US disclosure requirements
German automakers dominate the fight to weaken climate regulation
The 50 Most Influential Companies and Industry Associations Blocking Climate Policy Action Globally
The US government is proposing a bold climate policy and fiscal spending agenda which will face its crucial test in US Congress in late September 2021. The $3.5 trillion 'Reconciliation Bill' has been described as a “once in lifetime” chance to pass meaningful climate policy in the United States.
To qualify, a company must exhibit sufficient support for ambitious climate policy, strategic levels of engagement with climate policy, and leadership in its sector. Links to industry associations egregiously opposing climate policy can disqualify a company from the list.
This briefing analyzes the 20 largest, US-based companies with InfluenceMap Organization Scores over 65, indicating broadly positive positioning towards climate change policy. Despite their apparent support for climate action, the majority of these companies are not publicly endorsing the Build Back Better Act.
This Lobbying Update provides details of corporate lobbying on key policies in 2021 thus far, including the Victorian Gas Substitution Roadmap, the inquiry into the prudential regulation of investment in Australia's export industries, the gas-fired recovery plan, the remit expansion to ARENA, and post 2025 market design options. InfluenceMap will continue to provide corporate lobbying updates regularly on this platform.
InfluenceMap's new research looked at the 50 most economically significant companies in Australia in relation to climate change and their potential to influence climate policy. The research found that none are strategically supporting Australian climate policy in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. In contrast, nearly half of the companies assessed hold policy positions that are misaligned from the goals of the Paris Agreement. Full details are on InfluenceMap's interactive platform.
These groups are funded by some of Europe’s largest corporations including Volkswagen Group, LafargeHolcim, TotalEnergies, Repsol, and ArcelorMittal, all of whom are now touting net-zero targets for climate, as well as supporting climate science and the UNFCCC process in the run-up to COP26.
New research shows the aviation sector has emerged as one of the strongest opponents of climate policy in Europe. While many industrial sectors are in the process of transformation in response to the EU’s strengthened climate agenda, the aviation sector has instead pursued a lobbying strategy to avoid effective regulation.
New research shows the aviation sector has emerged as one of the strongest opponents of climate policy in Europe. While many industrial sectors are in the process of transformation in response to the EU’s strengthened climate agenda, the aviation sector has instead pursued a lobbying strategy to avoid effective regulation.
Despite the CA100+ initiative having clear expectations on Paris-aligned lobbying, only 2 of the 31 CA100+ target companies found to be engaging on the taxonomy appear to be supportive of its science-based guidance with 4 companies advocating mixed or unclear positions, leaving more than 80% pushing the Commission to weaken the criteria that define what can be considered sustainable.
This report is being released in conjunction with InfluenceMap's revamped, interactive CA100+ platform which contains additional analysis covering the climate lobbying of CA100+ target companies.
The UK Governments ambitions on transport decarbonization are likely at risk due to the influence of a minority group of automotive interests opposed to binding policy on an internal combustion engine (ICE) phase out.
European companies backing robust, science-based regulation on CO2 emissions under the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy are also performing better on stock markets when compared with their peers that are opposing the same policy, according to analysis of InfluenceMap's policy position scores and financial metrics from external databases.
In the final year of the Trump Administration, authorities finalized three rules which have the effect of limiting the opportunities for ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investing.
The five Big Tech companies (Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook & Microsoft) account for more than 25% of the value of the S&P500 and 20% of its Q3 2020 profits.
Intensive lobbying throughout 2020 from real economy sectors has extracted significant concessions from the European Commission on its EU Sustainable Finance taxonomy.
New research from InfluenceMap shows the oil and gas sector to have dominated climate-related policy battles throughout COVID-19 crisis.
This research finds that Australia’s most influential industry associations are having an overwhelmingly negative impact on climate policy, with 75% of the groups assessed taking positions against climate regulations while promoting a pro-fossil fuel agenda. This research is part of InfluenceMap’s ongoing research on corporate climate lobbying, which feeds into investor processes globally. The results will be of prime interest to numerous asset managers and owners currently engaging on the topic with corporations operating in Australia.
This research finds that Australias most influential industry associations are having an overwhelmingly negative impact on climate policy, with 75% of the groups assessed taking positions against climate regulations while promoting a pro-fossil fuel agenda.
Corporate Influencing of Japan's Climate and Energy Choices
This analysis highlights a trend whereby companies and industry groups are engaging with investors and the media by focusing attention on top-line positive statements on climate while distracting stakeholders from the important details that conversely show patterns of opposition to science-based climate policy.
New analysis from InfluenceMap has tracked significant lobbying on the EU Ecolabel since late 2018, as part of a wider ongoing research process covering the EUs Sustainable Finance Action Plan and how the corporate sector is influencing the process.
In this briefing, InfluenceMap looks at evidence in two areas on the COVID-19 crisis' intersection with climate lobbying.
The following briefing focuses on how Japanese industry associations lobbied the Taxonomy and considers how these lobbying positions contrast with those of some leading European financial institutions.
ExxonMobil attempts to influence the European Green Deal
An analysis of how business has sought to influence this key EU policy
The 50 Corporations Shaping the Global Climate Agenda
US Lobbyists Dominate the List of the World's Most Influential and Negative on Climate
A detailed analysis of key trade groups and how they are positioning themselves for the future of climate in Europe
How the oil majors have spent $1Bn since Paris on narrative capture and lobbying on climate
In the wake of shareholder resolutions at Rio Tinto in both the UK and Australia over its links with climate-lobbying trade groups, new research from UK thinktank InfluenceMap identifies the 10 major global companies who maintain extensive networks of trade associations and lobbyists whose aggregate positions on climate are most misaligned with their own.
The polarized struggle among states for ambitious climate policy on shipping
Which global companies lead in strategic lobbying for the ambitions of Paris?
The US automotive industry, led by Ford, GM, Fiat Chrysler and Toyota, has spent millions of dollars in the last few years in an effort to dismantle a decade of policy progress on US vehicle efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.
The last few years has seen a significant reduction in the tax North Sea operators pay to extract oil and gas, to the point where the UK Treasury is now paying the sector £24m per year to operate. The industry has achieved this by a variety of influencing tactics aimed at multiple levels of the tax policy making process.
This report looks at how corporate America has lobbied climate policy and regulations following the US election, both positively and negatively.
Since the conception of the EU ETS over a decade ago, the European cement industry has succeeded in crippling the original ambition of the policy, which was to decarbonise European industry, whilst booking billions of Euros in pure profits from the allocation of credits.
This report finds the Big Six utility companies have undue influence on UK energy policy and regulation, hindering the clean energy transition and posing significant investor risk.
This report reveals how the shipping industry has aggressively lobbied the UN to obstruct climate change action for shipping, ensuring it remains the only sector in the world not currently subject to any emission reduction measures.
InfluenceMap's analysis of US auto industry lobbying shows an accelerated pattern of aggressive opposition to weaken climate-motivated policy since the election of President Donald Trump.
The global mining giant has just published a review of climate/energy misalignments between it and its key lobby groups - InfluenceMap fact checks this for accuracy and completeness.
Industry groups are key lobbying agents for business - we use our analytics to pick out the 50 most influential on climate.
InfluenceMap has identified the 50 companies most influential in shaping climate and energy policy around the world. Some of these (such as ExxonMobil) are in opposition while others (such as Apple and Unilever) are championing ambitious national-level policy to support their decarbonization plans...
In the wake of the VW scandal, a group of investors with over $1 trillion worth of investor assets queried the largest automotive manufacturers on issues related to crucial greenhouse gas emissions standards in the US and the EU. This initiative was coordinated by UK non-profits ShareAction and InfluenceMap.
The following is a public report-back to investor signatories along with analysis and recommendations for future querying of the automotive sector to the wider investment community. Read the Financial Times coverage of this report.
Is the Volkswagen scandal the tip of the iceberg? Investors and engagers concerned with climate issues may be inclined to look more closely at this sector in light of the recent regulatory risks exposed by VW as the scandal spreads from diesel to CO2 emissions.
The energy majors' strategy (Shell, BP and Total) leading up to Paris 2015 is to call for a price on carbon. Behind the scenes, however, all are systematically obstructing the very laws that would enable a meaningful price.
In light of the ExxonMobil case, we queried our database to see what the top 20 US industrial companies are saying about climate risk to regulators and investors.
New analysis, requested by the Greens/EFA Group within the European Parliament, reveals a strong correlation between the obstructionist attitudes of key automotive manufacturers toward EU NOx policy and the position of the member states that they manufacture in.
InfluenceMap's scoring system observed a flurry of pro-climate policy activity immediately prior to and following COP21 in Paris. This so-called “Paris effect” means that over half the global 100 industrial companies are now advocating for emissions reductions in line with 2C.
Research by InfluenceMap reveals the California based tech giant's pledges on the use of renewable energy are backed up by its calls to policy makers to push through ambitious climate change policy and legislation. Apple tops our current scoring with its recent support of ambitious climate policy and is the first to score an "A" in our system.
Research suggests ExxonMobil spent $27m and Shell $22m to obstruct climate legislation in 2015, with the American Petroleum Institute and two smaller trade associations spending a further $74m on behalf of the entire industry.
The clear trend is greater disclosure by the oil/gas industry of regulatory risk posed by climate policy with emphasis of a likely shift following the Paris Agreement. Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil and Valero Energy all imply that significant regulatory risk at the national levels is on the horizon after COP21.
InfluenceMap's detailed analysis shows that BusinessEurope appears to be misrepresenting European Business on climate issues.
Issues surrounding climate disclosure investigations by the New York Attorney General into ExxonMobil may be pervasive in the industry.
A year on from Paris, France comes top in the analysis of the G7 countries but there is significant misalignment among other members on their commitment to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2025.
New research by InfluenceMap finds that the European cement industry is not disclosing the financial risks it would face in response to a meaningful price on carbon, while continuing to undermine regulations that would enable such a price.
How taxpayer's funding is being spent on diesel subsidies worth almost £260m
This report examines Japan's plans to expand coal both domestically and in Southeast Asia against global trends of accelerated renewable electricity capacity. It finds this strategy is misaligned with the strategic interests of Japan's technology-based industries.
